Datura plant named ‘Reverend Schusler’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of Datura plant named ‘Reverend Schusler’ characterized and distinguished from other Daturas by its uniquely colored foliage consisting of creamy yellow, yellow-white, grey-green and dark green patches with purplish coloration on the underside of the new growth (during cooler weather), the variegation extending to the sepals of the flowers, and the ovary, resulting in the fruit being white, yellow and green variegated; foliage and fruit being borne on purplish, tomentose stems, the sweetly fragrant flowers being a light lavender in color when young turning white as they mature.

BACKGROUNG OF THE INVENTION

(1) The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar ofDatura plant, also commonly known as Sacred Datura and Moon Flower,botanically known as Datura wrightii Regel, and known by the cultivarname ‘Reverend Schusler’. The unusual coloration and variegation of thisplant increases the aesthetic value of the plant for use in containersand to provide seasonal color in the landscape.

(2) Datura wrightii ‘Reverend Schusler’ was found by me in a planting ofDatura seedlings in my garden located just east of Corsicana, Tex. andoccurred as a sport(mutation) of one of those seedlings. The parentplant had foliage that was dark green to gray-green while the mutatedbranch had variegated foliage. Later it was found that the flower buds,calyxes, and fruit were also variegated.

Cuttings were taken off this plant and rooted under mist. Asexualpropagation of ‘Reverend Schusler’ by tip cuttings has shown that thevariegation is stable and succeeding generations of cuttings taken fromboth the original parent plant and rooted cuttings have developedoffspring with similar variegation patterns, flower and fruitcharacteristics.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A new and distinct cultivar of Datura plant characterized by itsunusually white, yellow, and various shades of green colored variegatedfoliage, variegated calyxes on the flowers, and variegated fruit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Photograph of young plant with flower bud.

FIG. 2 Photograph of young plant with flower opening.

FIG. 3 Photograph of opening flower showing variegated calyx.

FIG. 4 Photograph of leaves of various ages.

FIG. 5 Photograph of leaves showing purplish coloration of undersides ofnew growth.

FIG. 6 Closeup photograph of mature leaves.

FIG. 7 Photograph of flower bud, opening buds, flower, and fruit.

FIG. 8 Photograph of calyx base of fruit, and stems.

FIG. 9 Photograph of occasional light yellow shoot with light yellowfruit.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW PLANT VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of my new cultivar, Daturawrightii ‘Reverend Schusler’, and the characteristics that distinguishthe new Datura from its parent and other Daturas currently cultivatedand sold in the floricultural trade. Descriptions are made from plantspropagated from rooted cuttings of various ages(one to 12 months old),observed growing during the summer through winter of 1998 and spring andsummer of 1999 in Corsicana, Tex. Plants were grown in containers and inthe ground out-of-doors and also in containers in the greenhouse. (Allcolor references are from The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chartexcept where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance areused).

Foliage:

Leaf shape and size.—Leaves alternate, entire, irregularly ovate, withacuminate apices. Leaves have a puckered surface when young that lessenswith maturity. The leaf margin is entire to slightly undulate orirregularly lobed, the margins upturned when young, flattening with age.Mature leaf blade 15 to 16 cm long down midrib, 10.5 to 11 cm wide atwidest point. The upper and lower surfaces having microscopic hairs,particularly numerous along veins and blade margins. The lower hairsoften observed with a small droplet on the end suggestive of a trichome.Petiole tomentose, 6.0 to 7.0 cm to first contact with blade, thenanother 1.5 to 2.0 cm to other side of blade, the leaf base beingirregular with one side 1.5 to 2.0 cm lower than the other side.

Leaf variegation and color.—Young foliage marked by irregular patternstoward center of leaf, of grey green, 191A, with areas of a lighter greygreen, 194B, the green area being broken by irregular variegation,greyed yellow, 160A along the margins proceeding in some areas all theway to the midrib, irregular splotches of dark green, 189A, over entireblade area. As leaves mature the variegated area fades to pale yellow,11D, and becomes less prominent. Undersides of leaves have a purplishtint, 186A, that fades as leaves mature. This purplish coloration doesnot occur during the higher light and temperatures of summer. Insteadthe underside of the leaves is the same variegated and green colorpattern as the above side, only paler. The tomentose petioles are agreyed-purple color, 186B. Occasionally a branch will be produced withthe leaves and fruit entirely variegated, the new leaves opening a lightyellow, 11C, fading to a very pale yellow, 8D, the entire surface havingirregular blotches of dark green, 189A.

Flowers:

Flower shape and size.—The large flowers are single. The puffy, conical,upright flower buds are produced singly, in the axils of the forkedbranches from April to November. The corolla emerges from the calyx tubewhich is about 10 cm. long. The five sepals are fused but the upper endseparates into 5 acute to acuminate lobes about 2 cm in length, 5 to 10mm in width, and separated at the tips about 5 to 10 mm by a “V” shapedsinus. The corolla tube(5 fused petals) being about 20 cm. long. Thecorolla tube opens and flattens across the top to form a single, 5lobed, funnelform to salverform flower, 12 to 15 cm. wide. The 5 lobesacuminate, about 1 to 2 cm. long. A ridge or fold composed of threeprominent main veins runs from the base of the corolla tube to the baseof the lobes. The five, 18 to 19 cm long, white filaments are attachedto the corolla tube at the base but become separate 9 to 10 cm up,slightly protruding past the perianth. Each filament ends in a singlesomewhat flattened anther, 3 to 4 mm wide and 9 to 10 mm long, anoff-white to tan in color. The single, white, round style is about 1 mmwide and 19 to 20 cm in length and protrudes past the perianth andstamens. The stigma is somewhat rounded, with flattened sides, 1 to 2 mmin width. The single yellow-green ovary is approximately 5 to 7 mm longand 5 to 7 mm wide, with small hairlide protrusions that will laterbecome the spines on the fruit. Mature plants have been observed withmore than 20 flowers open at the same time. Individual flowers beingattractive for 2 to 3 days. Flowers have a sweet fragrance and are veryattractive to bees.

Flower color.—Calyx buds (in cooler weather) are a greyed-purple, 186D,with 5 streaks or bands of grey-green, 194B. Both become lighter as theymature. During high light and temperatures of late summer the purplecoloration is faint and the calyx tube is more white but the 5 bands ofgrey-green, 194 B remain true. The corolla tube before opening is mainlya yellow-white, 158B, with streaks of green-white, 157A, radiating fromthe base, with the tips being greyed-purple, 186D. As it opens thecorolla edges are a light red-purple, 69D, fading to white, the corollaedges curling backwards as the flower matures. During the high light andheat of summer the corolla tube before opening is a yellow-white, 158Bwith streaks of green-white, 157A radiating from the base.

Fruit:

Fruit shape and size.—Fruit a globose, stipitate capsule covered withnumerous spines. The capsule is attached to the branch axils by the 2 to3 cm pedicel that arches downwards, causing the fruits to appearpendulous, similar to Christmas ornaments hanging on a Christmas tree.Pericarp about 4 to 5 cm. wide and about 4 cm. from base to tip. Spinesabout 0.5 cm. long. The base of the calyx forming an undulate collar atthe base of the fruit, about 4 to 5 cm. wide across bottom and droopingdown about 1 to 1.5 cm. all around base of pericarp. Fruit irregularlydehiscent, two chambers, each fruit containing 50 to 100,crescent-shaped, light tan seeds about 5 mm. in length.

Fruit color.—Pericarp and spines a grey-green, 193D, with a band or spotof yellow, 4C, at the top of the pericarp near the point where the styleattached. Calyx base a grey-green, 191B, with bands of yellow green,147D and yellow, 4D. Fruits become dry and turn red-brown to light tanat maturity.

Stems:

Stem branch habit.—The plant has an irregular shape, the stems branchinginto twos. The overall habit being semi-upright to procumbent, plantsbeing 0.33 to 1 meter in height to 1 meter wide.

Stem color.—Stems finely tomentose, greyed-purple, 186B to 187A.

Hardiness: Plants observed at Corsicana, Tex. (U.S.D.A. hardiness zone7B) grow as herbaceous perennials that die back to the ground aroundNovember. Plants in the ground during the winter of 1998-1999 continuedgrowth from the stumps in April of 1999 and grew abundantly until dieback in November. However, I would not consider this plant to bereliably cold hardy and would classify it as a frost tender perennial.Plants grown in containers in the greenhouse have continued to grow for3 years.

Resistance to pests: No particular disease or pest resistance has beenobserved although plants were basically unaffected by large populationsof grasshoppers over several years.

Propagation: The unique variegation pattern of this plant is retained bypropagation through the use of stem cuttings, treated with a rootinghormone, and placed under a mist system. Cuttings root in 3 to 4 weekstime.

Plant vigor: Plants thrive on sun and high temperatures and growvigorously. Plants about 15 cm tall and 20 cm wide when planted into theground in May can reach 75 cm tall and 1 meter wide by October. Plantsare somewhat drought tolerant. Plants have survived periods of wiltingwith no apparent long-term affects.

Distinguishing features: The yellow, white, and green shades of colorand pattern of the variegated foliage, calyx, and fruit distinguishesthis plant from the parent and other Daturas that have leaves that areall green to gray green, green calyx tube, and green fruit. The inventorknows of no other variegated Datura wrightii cultivars. The variegationincreases the aesthetic value of this plant as a container plant orornamental bedding plant.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Datura plant named ‘ReverendSchusler’, as illustrated and described, characterized by havingvariegated foliage, variegated calyxes, and variegated fruit.